


The More I Give

by bgn846



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV, Crying, F3S, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gladnis, Hugging, M/M, highschool sucks, mentions of fighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2020-10-28 20:34:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20784692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bgn846/pseuds/bgn846
Summary: Ignis and Gladio are in high school and secretly dating.  Life is hard enough as a teenager so navigating bullies and new feelings can be hard.





	The More I Give

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ragewerthers](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ragewerthers/gifts).

> This fic was born from a lovely prompt by my friend who requested that Ignis hears people talking about him in some capacity and whatever is said effects him more than he can say even though he pretends it doesn't. Gladio see's the change and works to make it better! Featuring some good ol' h/c!
> 
> This story grew a mind of its own and took the lead half way through so that was interesting. I do hope you all like it. And I firmly believe that things are extra emotional when you're a teenager, so yeah people are gonna cry.

The gentle breeze rustling through the trees wasn’t doing much to calm the situation. Something was obviously wrong with his boyfriend and Gladio wasn’t sure how to help. Ignis hadn’t said much when they’d met up after school. The walk to a nearby park wasn’t filled with conversation but silence instead.

Worrying that he’d done something wrong, Gladio began thinking back to times he’d seen Ignis in the halls that day. He hadn’t tried to hug or kiss him so that couldn’t be the issue. They’d been dating in secret for six months and Ignis was extremely nervous about getting caught. Unable to come up with any other ideas Gladio followed Ignis to their special spot underneath a large willow tree. It provided privacy and was off the beaten path. The trunk was massive, which meant they could both lean up against it and relax.

They rarely saw other students at the park. Despite this fact Ignis usually kept his distance, Gladio couldn’t even hold his hand. The idea of having to deal with bullying from other kids never settled well with Ignis. He was terrified what they would think of him dating an Amicitia. He assumed they would all think he was over reaching his boundaries.

Gladio would always try and tell him it wasn’t true and didn’t matter but Ignis didn’t believe it. Unable to stand the silence any longer Gladio cleared his throat. “Hey – um -- did I mess something up today?”

Ignis didn’t answer. He instead took a deep breath and leaned to the side collapsing into Gladio’s chest. Surprised by the move Gladio began looking around to make sure no one was watching. Thank the six they were alone. He’d been so stunned by the move he’d missed the slight shake in Ignis’ shoulders. 

Realizing that Ignis was crying made Gladio nearly yell in a panic. Astrals what the hell had he done wrong? “Babe, please talk to me! I’m sorry for whatever I did to make you upset.” He rambled.

Ignis sucked in a breath but still wouldn’t look up, “You didn’t – you didn’t do anything wrong.” He managed in between sobs. “I’m sorry, I – I don’t think I can do this anymore.”

Gladio froze. He couldn’t comprehend what that meant. Did Ignis not want to be with him anymore? Here he was in the most romantic of settings, getting dumped. “Uh --.” Was all he could lamely utter. 

Suddenly Ignis sat upright and twisted around to look at him. “Dear six, I didn’t mean that about us being together.” He scrambled frantically, “I meant it about hiding our relationship!” 

Unable to form words Gladio could only blink a few times with his mouth open. His world felt like it had nearly ended a minute ago and now it wasn’t? Ignis was still crying and gave up trying to explain himself further. The younger man’s slender arms were around his neck a second later. Gladio hugged Ignis fiercely, but didn’t dare break the silence. He still wasn’t sure what had just happened. 

It took several minutes before Ignis found his voice. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t hold it back any longer.” He sniffled. 

“We aren’t breaking up right?” Gladio asked worriedly.

Ignis leaned back to look at him with concern. “I should have thought about what I was saying before I blurted it out. I didn’t mean to make you think that.” He offered with a furrowed brow. “I can assure you this is not a breakup.”

Letting out a sigh Gladio swallowed hard. “That was really scary. I don’t want to ever go through that again. You really freaked me out.”

“I had a bad day.” Ignis admitted solemnly.

“Clearly something has upset you a lot. What happened?” Gladio asked, “Oh! Are you alright sitting like this, we could be seen.” He checked quickly.

Now it was Ignis’ turn to look stunned. He glanced around slowly and took a deep breath. “I think I’m changing my mind on that rule.”

“Can we get comfortable first, before you tell me everything?” Gladio questioned. A blush quickly developed on Ignis’ cheeks, and if the mood had been different Gladio would have commented on it. Waiting a few seconds paid off as Ignis gave a slight nod in affirmation.

It didn’t take long for Gladio to scoot Ignis over on the grass so he was sitting in between his legs. Wrapping his arms around his boyfriends’ waist Gladio pulled Ignis back against his chest. “There this is better. Now tell me about your day.” 

Gladio thought maybe he’d done the wrong thing when Ignis started crying again. “Is this too much? We can go back to my house if you’d rather.” He offered hurriedly.

Shaking his head no Ignis hiccuped slightly and worked to calm down. “No it’s not – not necessary. This feels really good and I think I’m simply overwhelmed.” He supplied.

Time passed slowly after Ignis started telling Gladio about his terrible day. It never failed to amaze the future shield that people would choose to pick on Ignis. They had no idea about his true capabilities. In Gladio’s opinion Ignis was a thousand times better than any of them. Ignis had started his crownsguard training earlier that year and he was really good. Plus he was super smart and did well in all his classes. If anything Gladio didn’t deserve to be with Ignis. This made hearing what Ignis had to put up with that much harder. People were cruel for no reason sometimes. 

The story Ignis laid out was starting to sound like a broken record. The same bully, the same tactics, week in and week out. Unsure as to what had made Ignis crack Gladio patiently waited for the story to progress more. 

Finally Ignis admitted what had made him so upset. “That arrogant prick informed me he was signing up for crownsguard training.” Ignis offered quietly, “He said he was going to make sure only the _right_ people served the king and crown.”

“Iggy, that’s a threat. We can have him reported.” Gladio cut in concerned.

“I know.”

“What else did he do?”

“That was it, he walked away. I felt sick standing there Gladio. I don’t want to deal with him at school and at training.” Ignis lamented as he rolled his head to the side. “That’s when it hit me. I’m not alone anymore.”

Gladio hugged Ignis tightly at the admission and leaned down to kiss his temple. “We are together in this. I’ll always have your back.”

Nodding his head Ignis let out a labored breath. “That’s why I don’t want to hide anymore. I realized that won’t solve anything. That asshat will still be a bully no matter what I do, so why let him or anyone else for that matter, dictate how I live my life.”

“Are you sure? I want you to feel comfortable about this choice.”

“Yes, I’m sure. I feel happy and safe right now and I want to feel like this all the time.” Ignis offered.

Gladio grinned at the comment and squeezed Ignis even tighter. “I’m so excited about this. I can’t wait to let everyone know how much I care about you.”

Ignis was blushing again but this time he was smiling. They ended up staying in the park for the rest of the afternoon snuggled up against each other. Gladio really was looking forward to showing off Ignis to everyone. He knew his sister suspected something so thankfully he wouldn’t have to hide from her any longer. 

His father already knew but Gladio hadn’t dared tell Ignis that information. The man was shield to the king and he’d been trained to spot subtle behavioral changes in people. So it was no surprise when his father had pulled him into his study one night to ask about his new boyfriend. He had been supportive and happy that Gladio had found someone worthy like Ignis. 

The memory of that encounter made Gladio pause in his thoughts so he could look at Ignis. The younger man was asleep on his chest. Reaching over Gladio gently carded his hand through Ignis’ hair. His boyfriend stirred but didn’t wake. 

Gladio craved moments like this where Ignis would let his guard down. He deserved a break from school and the workload he already had being Noct’s future advisor. Tomorrow was a new day and Gladio was looking forward to spending it with his amazing boyfriend.

* * *

Ignis could feel his hands shaking despite the mental pep talk he was giving himself. This is what other couples did, they showed affection in public. He was allowed to do this too. Taking a deep breath Ignis continued walking towards Gladio. He nearly stalled out on his mission when Gladio turned around and spotted him. 

The bright smile Gladio flashed gave him renewed hope and he managed to close the gap between them. The hallway was mostly empty as a fair amount of the students were either outside or in the cafeteria eating lunch. However, Gladio was talking to another upperclassman and Ignis didn’t know how he’d react. 

The second Ignis had gotten within arm’s length Gladio grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. Ignis could feel his face getting flush. Focusing on staying calm he threaded his arms around Gladio’s waist. This was a normal thing to do, hugging your boyfriend. There was nothing to be fearful of. 

A surprised noise from the upperclassman standing next to them caused Ignis to stiffen. This was going to be the first bad comment, he could feel it. 

“Ah! I knew you were dating somebody!” He exclaimed. “You gonna introduce me?”

Ignis could feel Gladio chuckle as he released his grip. “I thought you already knew Ignis?” Gladio questioned.

“Well yeah, but like this is different.” The student offered with a laugh.

Ignis let himself be gently pushed back so he could properly meet Gladio’s friend. The conversation went surprisingly well. Nothing bad was said and no terrible jokes were made at his expense. As the minutes ticked by Ignis could feel his body relaxing. The stress of a new situation was softening into something more pleasant. 

The rest of the day went without incident and Ignis started thinking he might survive being public with his relationship. This euphoric feeling lasted all of two days before he encountered the bully. 

Bracing for the worst Ignis was more than shocked when the bully began bad mouthing Gladio instead. It was in that moment that Ignis suddenly realized something. This person’s sole goal had been to rattle him by any means necessary. He’d unwittingly given him the power to ruin his mood. 

Ignis had changed his behavior to accommodate this bully. It was tolerable when it was directed solely at him, but the minute this jackass targeted Gladio things were different. He wasn’t going to stand by idle and listen to this filth. Times had changed.

* * *

Gladio rushed down the hall towards the principal’s office. Someone had come to collect him during his math class. Once they’d gotten in the hallway he’d been informed that Ignis had been injured in a fight and had requested to see him. Fearing the worst Gladio had sprinted down the corridor once he’d been given the message.

Stopping to catch his breath outside the main office door Gladio straightened his shirt before he knocked. The door was swung open a second later and the assistant principal ushered him over to where Ignis was sitting. His boyfriend was slumped in a chair and had a bag of ice resting over his right hand. It wasn’t until Gladio got closer did he notice the shiner developing on Ignis’ left cheek. 

Having to control his emotions since they weren’t alone wasn’t easy. Gladio wanted to beat the shit out of whoever did this to Ignis, but he also wanted to hug and kiss his boyfriend. Before he could say anything Ignis smiled shyly and offered very quietly. “They are reviewing the security footage from the hallway right now.”

“To see what exactly?” Gladio hissed, “How many times you got hit?”

Ignis shook his head slowly. “To make sure I was defending myself and not the other way around.”

Gladio could feel his eyes go wide as he as sank into the chair next to Ignis. “It was that fucking bully wasn’t it?” He asked in a hushed tone. 

Ignis nodded and winced slightly at the small movement. “I was tired of dealing with him.”

Gladio finally caught onto the true meaning of Ignis’ statement after a minute. “Wait, why do they need to make sure you were defending yourself? Where is he anyway?”

“Nurses office.” Ignis murmured. “I may have hit him back a little harder than I realized.”

Having to work to bite back a laugh Gladio reached out and took Ignis’ free hand. “I thought you said that fighting wasn’t the answer for dealing with a bully.”

“He was saying horrible things about you being with me and I couldn’t bear to hear it.”

Gladio went to add more but the principal came back into the room. “Ignis the footage confirms your version of events. Based off everything you’ve told us we have a very good case for expulsion.”

“Only if you think it’s necessary.” Ignis admitted. 

“Oh yes, I worry what would have happened if he’d picked on someone with no fight training. You escaped serious injury and even had enough skill to get him to back down quickly.” 

“So I’m not in trouble.” Ignis double checked.

“No. Though I will say fighting is not the preferred method of solving disputes, though I’m sure you already know that.” 

Ignis nodded ever so slightly and smiled. Gladio waited patiently while Ignis confirmed he was well enough to go home. Thankfully the principal allowed him to leave early as well to escort Ignis. 

The minute they were in the parking lot headed towards Ignis’ car Gladio hugged his boyfriend close and kissed him. “You are going to tell me everything that happened while I take care of you for the rest of the day.”

“I’m fine Gladio, there is no need.” Ignis tried to interrupt.

“Nope, not happening. You defended my honor it’s the least I could do.” Gladio exclaimed as he opened the car door for Ignis.

Groaning in response Ignis pursed his lips. “Fine, but only if you cook me dinner.”

“Of course anything for you my knight in shining armor.” Gladio couldn’t help but laugh at the face Ignis pulled. He knew it wasn’t exactly how Ignis wanted to handle the situation but it worked out in the end. It made Gladio feel good that Ignis was taking a stand. He deserved so much and Gladio was beyond ecstatic to be a part of Ignis’ future. 

**Author's Note:**

> Check me out on tumblr if you want. Just mostly FFXV stuff with some random dribbles. [BGN846 Blog](https://bgn846.tumblr.com/)
> 
> or Twitter [ BGN846 Twitter](https://twitter.com/BGN846?lang=en)
> 
> Please don't copy or plagiarize my work. Thanks!


End file.
